Friday, April 4

SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT WHYVILLE MEDIA HOUR THIS WEEK: Read the novel "The Tiger Rising" by Kate DiCamillo -- it will be discussed on a radio program, "Young Person's Book Club Of The Air", today, Friday, April 4th. You can listen to the club's opinions of the book after the broadcast when the proceedings have been put up on the internet after 6pm ET/9pm PT at http://www.kpcc.org/programming/talkofthecity/bcota.shtml. Click on the "Listen" link on that page which will be located next to the name of the book (The Tiger Rising). If you want even more information, log on to the author's website http://www.katedicamillo.com. The book will be the Whyville Media Hour main topic of discussion on Wednesday, April 9 (see below).

"NOW with Bill Moyers: War And Media" (PBS, 9-10pm E/P) This program is aimed at viewers who are worried about news reporting in America being slanted in ways they don't like. There are proceedings underway in Washington which may mean 'big media' will get even bigger. Multi-billion dollar media conglomerates could gain more control over the nation's radio and television airwaves. Opponents of "media consolidation" fear that giving these giants a free pass to let the marketplace rule could severely affect the ability of journalists to be independent. If deregulation does take place, can democracy survive without the diversity of ideas presented by a truly free press?

Saturday, April 5

"Unsolved History: Custer's Last Stand" Discovery Channel 1-2pm E/P) This documentary unravels some of the tangled facts and fictions about On June 25, 1876, George Armstrong Custer stumbled on one of the largest Indian camps the Plains had seen. Vastly outnumbered, Custer and his troops fell to the Indians at Little Big Horn. Scientists examine artifacts to recreate this famous battle. http://dsc.discovery.com/anthology/unsolvedhistory/custer/custer.html

Sunday, April 6

"In-Depth on Book TV: Bernard Lewis" (C-SPAN2, noon-3pm ET , repeating 5-8pm ET, 9 am-noon PT repeating 3-6pm PT) This is a three-hour LIVE conversation with a writer considered to be America's most respected writer about the Near East. Bernard Lewis, interviewed from his home in Princeton, NJ. is the Cleveland E. Dodge Professor of near Eastern Studies, Emeritus at Princeton University. I suggest you look in from time to time during the broadcast to learn some things he has covered in his books. They include "The Arabs in History"; "The Emergence of Modern Turkey"; "The Assassins"; "Islam and the West"; "Islam in History"; "The Shaping of the Modern Middle East"; "The Middle East: A Brief History of the Last 2,000 Years"; "The Future of the Middle East"; "The Multiple Identities of the Middle East"; "What Went Wrong?"; and his most recent book "The Crisis of Islam".

"Michael Palin's Travels: Sahara" (Bravo Network, 7-8pm E/P) This is the initial segment of a 4 part documentary about the Sahara desert. The reporter is Michael Palin. Member of the legendary Monty Python's Flying Circus, he is also an adventurer. He has already traveled around the world in 80 days (actually 79 days and 7 hours) and stood on both the North and South Poles. He's logged more than 100,000 miles, suffered from Dehli Belly, Saigon Stomach, Camel Poisoning, cracked ribs, nearly drowned and has even come under rifle fire. He is also an expert storyteller and conveys the experiences of his travels with his unique sense of humor. This program is about his latest 99-day journey across the Sahara., reporting on the diverse range of cultures and landscapes and a long history of civilization, trade, commerce and conquest, stretching from the ancient Egyptians to the oil-rich Islamic republics of today. The remaining 3 segments air in on following Sundays. There's also a website -- http://www.palinstravels.co.uk.

Monday, April 7

"Homeless To Harvard" (Lifetime Network, 9-11pm E/P) This movie tells the true story of a girl, Liz Murray, who spent early years worrying about whether her parents were going out to score drugs late at night and when
she'd eat her next meal. She lived in a filthy, impoverished environment, her mother schizophrenic, legally blind and afflicted with AIDS. After her mother passed away, Murray, then age 15, lived on the streets alone -- eating
from dumpsters, sleeping on subway cars and depending on her street smarts for survival. Somehow, the naturally bright but uneducated teen found the strength and courage to pursue her own education. She graduated from high school in two years and eventually won a New York Times scholarship to Harvard University -- all while still homeless! The show has a website, as interesting and inspirational as the show itself: http://www.lifetimetv.com/movies/originals/synopsis.html. It contains an exclusive interview with the real Liz Murray and links to a wide variety of fabulous informational sites.

Tuesday, April 8

"Napoleon" (A&E Network, Part 1: 8-10pm E/P , Part 2: April 9th at 8pm E/P, Both parts re-air April 18 beginning 8pm E/P) This is a big new dramatic miniseries about Napoleon Bonaparte. One of the best intellects of
his time, he exploited a revolution to become the emperor of France. Born in Corsica a few months after the island ceased being Italian and came under French rule, he led his family's newly adopted nation to unprecedented heights of glory. But, all the while, he was personally obsessed with beating the British. You'll learn a lot about his daily life and his relationship with his family. There's a fascinating website about him and the people in the show at http://www.aetv.com/class. The site provides special information for Canadian viewers. Among other things, it points out that in Canada, programs telecast as part of the A&E Network's "Classroom" project may be videotaped and used in a classroom for up to two years from the airdate. No other programs telecast on A&E should be videotaped for classroom use in Canada, due to provisions of applicable Canadian law, without express written authorization from the copyright holder. Why do you think they do that?

Wednesday, April 9

Note: Here's the weekly Whyville Media Hour discussion topic. Log to Whyville between 6:30-7:30 Whyville time, which is 6:30-7:30pm ET or 3:30-4:30pm PT.

The Tiger Rising (This is a BOOK, written by Newbery Medal winning author Kate DiCamillo.) It's an emotional story about what happens to a kid in Florida who walks through the woods one morning and discovers a large, live, tiger in a cage. Later that same day he meets a girl who leads him to a deep understanding of the events that his discovery brings on. Read about the book on Amazon.com if you want more hints what happens. But I hope you've read the actual book by now, or at least logged onto the audio file of the radio program, "Young Person's Book Club Of The Air" which aired Friday, April 4th. You can listen to that club's opinions of the book by logging on to and clicking on the "Listen" link, which will be located next to the name of the book (The Tiger Rising). For even more info log on to the author's website http://www.katedicamillo.com.

Thursday, April 10

"Stinkers! The Ten Smelliest Animals in the World" (Discovery Channel, 6-7pm E/P) Back by popular demand, this is a documentary about a less-than-scientific poll of wildlife professionals from all corners of the globe resulting in a top ten list of the most malodorous members of the animal kingdom. These stinky critters aren't just offensive, their stench can be downright crippling!

"Nature's Nightmares: Infested!" (National Geographic Channel, 8-9pm E/P) This documentary is another reminder that Nature is not always our friend. It points out that the average home contains hordes of uninvited guests, from rats, and mice to creepy crawlies and microscopic bugs. You don't have to live in squalor to be infested, and sometimes you don't even know you've been invaded.